You could say it’s the AL Central rivalry thing, but do you really think Chicago White Sox fans just HATE THE DETROIT TIGERS so much that they would mercilessly boo one random Tigers player all game long every time he’s in Chicago?
No, it’s the former Cubs player thing. And the highly-visible, high-energy player thing. It’s really silly, but White Sox fans just boo the heck out of Javy Báez whenever he’s in town, and I therefore find it funny how he handled it tonight:
That had to feel good. Not only did Báez blow the game open, but he got to respond to their boos with his bat.
And when he rounded the bases and the boos continued? Báez made sure to let the fans know he heard that, too. Javy is never going to NOT acknowledge the fans, good or bad.
It hasn’t been a great season for Javy Báez, his first in Detroit. That was his 15th homer of the year, and brought his slash line up to .242/.282/.397/92 wRC+. It’s not nearly as bad as it was at midseason, but still nowhere near what he or the Tigers were hoping would happen when he signed in the offseason for six years and $140 million. Maybe after a year to settle in – and with more boos to respond to – Báez can have a better 2023.